BlytheLife.com opened in July 2010 and is a blog and resource hub for all things Blythe!
TBL/Factory Questionnaire: The Results!
Written on November 5, 2014 at 12:00 pm by MichelleFiled under: Article with tags: factory dolls, fakes, TBLs
Back in late September I asked all of you lovely people to answer a very short survey about TBL/”factory”/fake Blythes and I’m sharing the result today!
There were 113 responses, not everyone who filled in the survey answered every single question.
1. Do you own a TBL/factory/fake Blythe doll?
39% said no while 61% said yes, they do own a TBL/factory/fake Blythe doll.
2. Do you consider TBL or “factory” dolls to be Blythe dolls?
It is a bit more divided here. 45% of the responders said no, TBL/factory/fakes are not real Blythe dolls while 55% think that they are.
3. Would you buy a customized doll if you knew it was made from a TBL/fake doll?
An amazing 64% have no issues with buying a customized doll that is known to be from a TBL/fake while 36% said no.
4. Would you buy a legitimate customized Blythe doll from a customized who used TBL/fakes in their other customization works?
An amazing 95% said that they would still buy a doll from someone who was known to use fakes in their other customization works while 5% said no.
5. What are your thoughts on TBL/fakes/factory Blythe dolls?
Here is a selection of some of the comments made by people who filled out the survey:
I feel like its all the same parts. Same plastic to start with, then the customizers worth their magic and make them unique. My first, and only current one is a factory, with all the correct markings, and she is well enough made that I want another one.
I’m big on genuine products as I feel that fakes or stolen items are disrespectful to the company or artist who created them originally. I would buy from an artist who uses them in other works if I really liked their work, but I’d rather support artists who don’t work with fakes or stolen parts at all.
They are not real Blythe dolls. They remind me of what you may find in a street market when someone has copied a designer purse and is selling it much cheaper than the original.
I hate all the controversy. Wish everyone would just play nice.
I think they’re great!
I hate that they are sold as legitimate to unsuspecting sellers and feel they should be marked a little differently so as to be immediately distinguishable but I love the many color combinations available and the hair of the few I’ve met has been absolutely delightful!
They have destroyed the Blythe hobby. Not singlehandedly of course (there is a lot of things wrong with this hobby, but fakes play a major part in the steady decline). I know Takara has released poor quality new releases, but we need to stop using that as an excuse to justify fakes. If you don’t like the latest releases – don’t buy them! I don’t. I only buy older releases. Older authentic stock Blythes are high quality and are reasonably priced too, so you can’t justify fakes by saying they’re cheaper than the real deal – that’s a lie. Also, if you think genuine Blythes are too expensive than maybe this hobby isn’t for you. Just because you want something doesn’t mean you should be entitled too it. Save up and actually earn your dolls. This is the only doll hobby where fakes are so widely accepted and that’s really sad to see because by accepting fakes, we are destroying the doll we claim to love so much. Newbies saying they love Blythe and collect Blythe but only own fakes is absurd. How can you claim to love something and collect something when you’ve never actually seen it or owned it? Also, what about the origins of these fake dolls? By purchasing them, who knows what kind of underworld schemes you are supporting. Drug and/or human trafficking, child labour – these are all things that come out of China, especially from bootlegging factories. People need to stop being so greedy and selfish and consider the bigger picture. By buying into fakes you’re contributing to the downfall of Takara and the Blythe hobby while potentially contributing to the abuse and ill treatment of third world factory workers while lining the pockets of bootleggers. Think about that.
They are beautiful and the quality is good. I like the TBL hair and eyechips’ colors.
Fascinating!
Whoa, so many different responses! Definitely a good topic to discuss!
As a newbie myself the only thing that is ‘wrong’ with this hobby are the prices for the genuine dolls. I’m well acquainted with ‘supply & demand’ but some collectors are so desperate to get certain dolls that they willingly pay ridiculously high prices. That said, I don’t blame them because if I had the money I’d do it too! I’ve read a lot about certain body types and wonder why these are being bought if the idea is to have a pristine stock doll? It seems to me that customizing – the results of which are stunning – make the use of some fake bits inevitable. The hands and eye chips, for instance. As for me, I have my one stock but envision her with different clothes and such. I’d prefer it Takara would let us buy a’ la carte so we can get just what we want, but it’s doubtful that will ever happen. One of the posters above mentioned that Takara has been issuing some poorly made dolls; I just wish I knew which ones she meant so I could at least avoid those. Otherwise, I adore Blythe and the artists and collectors who cherish her, too.
I would never, ever buy a fake customized doll. It seems the sellers who make these lovely customs don’t charge any less for a less expensive base doll, and some actually lie and claim this is a Simply base or Prima Dolly or whatever, when the eye mech is clearly seen in all photos, yet eyes aren’t carved. Ugh.
With that said, I have a Takara, a fake, a Kenner, and an ADG. My fake girl is just fine. The latest ones have a weird rubbery skin covering the plastic, making them harder to customize (that thing was ordered by my husband, and she sits with the rest but doesn’t look like a Blythe doll).
That “factory” Blythe of mine has gotten me a lot of negative attention, but Vesper is my doll, and I used her as a custom base (new to hobby, didn’t want to carve my Takara, would never sell my fake custom Blythe), and I love her. She looks nice on her (real) Azone body and I got lucky and got one with nice hair. Not all fakes have nice hair at all.
I do not consider factory dolls real Blythe dolls because they aren’t made by Takara or any licensed Blythe creator. I do feel they have reduced the value of the real Blythe dolls. I don’t lose sleep over it, but I won’t be buying any more fakes and my husband won’t, either.
I am new to Blythe. What first attracted me were the customized dolls–I should say, my first glimpse at a “Blythe” doll was a customized factory doll. I fell in love, purchased her THEN did a little looking into just what Blythe was all about. This was 9 months ago. Since then, I have acquired quite a few dolls–many factory or TBLs that are customized, one authentic stock Blythe that had been customized, and 7 genuine stock Blythe dolls, still in their boxes (4 of which are petites, of course!). Genuine Blythe dolls are expensive! So much so that I’m afraid to even take the ones I have out of their boxes, lol! I bought them because they are beautiful and I feel that removing them from their boxes will not only depreciate their value but will (of course) expose them to nicks and rubs and accelerated aging that will over time detract from their beauty. I soOo want to take them out of their boxes but at the same time would like for them to remain perfect. Because of this, my own complex!, I turn to the factory dolls to display and enjoy and ‘play with’ as I please. I honestly cannot help but cringe when I think of a genuine Blythe doll having her expensive, genuine (and cute!) face carved and sanded and changed into something not genuine. Then to give her an Azone body and maybe a new/different scalp as well?!. Why?! I cannot bring myself to purposely change the looks of a genuine Blythe doll…I, personally, feel they should be appreciated and enjoyed for who they are. Leave the face ups, new scalps and fancy eyes to the fake girls. And yes, using a factory doll as a base should make for cheaper or I’ll say inexpensive customized doll unless you happen to snag a commission spot with one of the better-known customizers. I love Blythe. But I also love the fact that I can buy a cheap Blythe look-alike to customize how I envision, thereby saving the sweet, classy looks of my genuine stock Blythe dolls. I say, thank goodness for the fakes!
It’s like you read my mind <3